Washington, 20 November 1997 (RFE/RL) - Armenian Ambassador to the U.S. Rouben Shugarian says he is quite optimistic about the status of negotiations dealing with Nagorno-Karabakh.

Shugarian says the process with the Minsk Group is "quite promising," and adds he thinks the time is approaching when a permanent solution may be found.

Speaking to a conference in Washington on Caspian Sea oil pipelines, Shugarian said regional cooperation on pipeline proposals travelling through both Armenia and Azerbaijan should be kept separate from the political dispute, but could be the source of future peaceful cooperation among all the nations of the region.

He says Armenia favors a step by step approach of settling disputes with Azerbaijan, adding: "We can start working together now even before the major conflicts are settled."